Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of devices and methods for producing cold brew coffee.
Description of the Prior Art
The challenges with brewing coffee cold is that it requires a lot of time, can be messy, and should be removed from the grounds at a specific time to achieve the desired taste. Coffee can be under brewed and over brewed so the goal is to dial in the appropriate brew time and not rely on an individual to be present to finish the process. Cold brewing coffee produces a coffee extract or a concentrate that should be cut with a ratio of water to achieve the proper flavor profile. It can be left as a concentrate and cut with water before consumption or cut right after the brewing process, which is a better method.
One technique to produce cold-brew coffee is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,858,133 and 8,720,321 issued to Neace, J., et al wherein an hourglass shaped apparatus includes a brew chamber and an extract chamber located at the opposite ends of the apparatus. Water is poured into the brew chamber to generate coffee extract. After the brewing process, the hourglasss is inverted and the coffee travels into the extract chamber.
The prior art devices for producing cold brew coffee rely on pouring cold water over coffee grounds instead of allowing the cold water and coffee grounds to be mixed together for a period of time. Disclosed herein is an apparatus for producing cold brew coffee that does not require the user to monitor or interact with the apparatus once the brewing process is initiated and allows the water and coffee grounds to remain in the brew chamber for a substantial length of time prior to dispensing same.